Florida Sunset Picture by Bill Emmons
The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
A Tree Known by Its Fruit. Emphasis mine. Luke 6: 42
The above quote from scripture is NOT in today’s reading.
Last weekend, 3/16, I had a huge epiphany and we couldn’t wait to convey to you what we learned, so we are deviating from today’s readings.
Background:
Sunday I went to Church to Pick up the Eucharists we would need to do a communion service at the Veterans Home. I met Nick at church, Not Accidental, God working in both of our lives, and Nick told me about the meeting the Bishop had held for Catholic men in our Diocese.
Nick shared with me what Bishop James said in one of his talks, that we had to learn more from the Old Testament.
Nick is reading Mysteries of The Messiah by Rabbi Jason Sobel.
Nick told me that the Bishop was reading Chapter Nine where Rabbi Sobel tells us that Two DAYS (Three Nights) after the Passover the First FRUITS were offered as a wave offering to the Lord.
The fifty-day countdown to Pentecost started AFTER the First Fruits. Yes, the Jewish People celebrated Pentecost, Shavuot, which was a holiday for Counting their Blessings, and Dependence on God.
Rabbi Sobel also said and, we will paraphrase, that it wasn’t any accident, that Jesus rose as a FIRST FRUIT.
Jesus’s Resurrection as The First Fruit started as a countdown to Pentecost, as we know it.
After Jesus rose from the dead He told His Disciples to Wait for fifty days to receive The Holy Spirit
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with The Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Emphasis Mine. Acts 2: 1-4
The eleven Disciples changed that instant and went out to Proclaim Jesus as their Messiah, Lord, and Savior and started the process of changing the world.
Rabbi Sobel also pointed out later in the chapter that the two Greatest gifts given to mankind were the Torah (the Law) in Exodus and The Holy Spirit in Acts 2.
I was blown over by what Nick told me.
But,
A few minutes later The Holy Spirit brought to mind.
Gelatians 5: 21-23, which by the way many believe was written before the four Gospels and Paul told us about the Fruit of The Holy Spirit.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Emphasis mine. Galatians 5: 22-23
The law Paul is referring to is the Jewish law handed down to the Jewish people from God to Moses and to the Jewish people.
At the Communion service, the Holy Spirit expanded my knowledge in OUR Homily, which as we gave the homily I, yes, I, found what we said fascinating. It’s a different life doing the work of our Father and living in The Holy Spirit.
Briefly, what we said was Love, Joy, and Peace are needed to let you know you are doing the will of God The Father.
Before I knew and grew in the Fruit of The Holy Spirit, I felt my life was ok. God was up there I was down here leave me alone. But I wasn’t filled with Joy or Peace. I was happy, but that was transitory, and I didn’t know how to get the good things into my life, actually, I didn’t know there was a different life available.
I was reading the Bible one day and got to Galatians 5 and the Holy Spirit asked me if I would like more Peace. My Answer was, ”Yes!”
The Holy Spirit told me to learn the Nine Fruit of The Holy Spirit.
As you all know I did, and I pray the “Nine,” every day and I also pray I, yes, I, that I will NEVER return to the person I was when I was younger.
In Sunday’s sermon, we also said that I now fully realize that Love, Joy, and Peace are my indicators that I am doing the will of My Father.
We then told them the stories we reported last week, in our blog, about Donna, Harry, who we didn’t write about, and Sunday about NICK, who all know the Nine Fruit of The Holy Spirit and their lives have changed.
Pentecost then was and now IS a CELEBRATION for counting OUR blessings, and Dependence on God.
And our CELEBRATION should be filled with Love, Joy, and Peace, because A Tree is Known by Its Fruit.
Prayer:
If you want to grow in Love, Joy, and Peace this is a result of growth in Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Kindness, and Self-Control.
Sidebar:
Donna, as we reported last week, forgot to pray the “Nine” every day, satan, and started to slip from the Joy and Peace she had known. She became concerned with her Mother-in-law who was sick, and possibly dying, and we reminded her about what we read in True Stories of The Azusa Street and Beyond, how a man was brought back from the dead, and he wasn’t happy with the person who brought him back from the dead, and Donna laughed. Yes, she and we all think this is the best place we could ever live in.
No! That’s not true. We are going to heaven when we die, because Jesus nailed our sins to His Cross so we might be justified.
But we can experience Heaven here and now by living in the Fruit of The Holy Spirit and being filled with the Love, Joy, and Peace of The Holy Spirit.
Heaven here and now means fighting satan, which is much easier when we live in the Fruit of The Holy Spirit.
Our Lenten Prayer is you will all make a conscious effort to learn and Pray the Nine Fruit of The Holy Spirit and on the day of Pentecost you will Celebrate, just as the Jewish People did over four thousand years ago, your Blessing and Dependence on God Your Father, Jesus your Brother, and be filled with The Holy Spirit.
A comment from last weeks blog:
We’ve added The 9 to our nighttime family prayer and even though I’m the only one that says them out loud I know our kids (teenagers) have committed them to memory by sheer repetition. Ha! Whatever works, right? They know The 9 whether they know it or not 😊
Anonymous
I sure wish we had done this as a family – Fred
Picture:
Bet you don’t get to see these sunsets on the East Coast. Picture by Bill Emmons
Please keep Snapping!
Email me if you want a copy of the prayers we discussed or the three hiking pictures we showed.
fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, please do not include people. We have to get permission from that person to use their photograph.
